This will be a 28 day road trip that will cover nearly 5,000 miles. I will spend 9 nights in Nova Scotia and 10 nights in Newfoundland. Once I reach the western shore of Nova Scotia, I'll drive my Prius onto the ferry. The ferry will take 17 hours to cross the Atlantic before reaching eastern Newfoundland. Later, I'll return to Nova Scotia from eastern Newfoundland. The return trip is a 7 hour ride. I'm hoping for calmer seas than what the ferry experienced in this video:

The logistics involved with planning this trip was more complicated than for my past road trips. In addition to making my usual Hampton Inn reservations, I had to make arrangements with 8 separate B&B's in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. I also had to make reservations for the ferry (for both me and my car) to get from Nova Scotia to Newfoundland and back. I have rented a cabin for the 17 hour overnight trip to Newfoundland.

Here's a preliminary itinerary for this journey:

Day 1: Toronto, ON

Day 2: Quebec City, ON

Day 3: Saint John, NB

Day 4: Halifax, NS - Halifax skyline, Citadel, Halifax Library

Day 5: Peggy's Cove, NS - sunrise and sunset at lighthouse

Day 6: Lunenburg, NS - architecture and waterfront between Mahone Bay and the Blue Rocks area

Day 7: Lunenburg, NS - architecture and waterfront between Mahone Bay and the Blue Rocks area

Day 8: Pictou, NS - Pictou harbor

Day 9: Whycocomagh, NS - Cape Breton Highlands National Park, communities between Mabou and the causeway

One of the things I hoped to see while in Iceland is the northern lights--or the aurora borealis. Unfortunately, it was raining and overcast during much of my time in Iceland.

One night, while staying at the Hotel Smyrlabjorg in Skalafell, the sky opened for a short time and the northern lights made an appearance. Our guide, Tony Prower, was monitoring the aurora forecast and also had a view of the northern sky from his hotel room. Just before 11pm, Tony started knocking on our hotel doors so that we could get outside to capture photographs of the aurora.

This is the picture that I captured just steps from the hotel:

Northern LightsNorthern Lights or Aurora Borealis from the Hotel Smyrlabjorg in Skalafell, Iceland on February 22, 2018

The strange thing is that even though I captured this picture, I really didn't get to see the northern lights. Although the camera's sensor recorded the aurora, it wasn't visible to the naked eye. I did see a white cloud that appeared to be brighter than it should be at night. But, I didn't see the green color. And, most of the people around me couldn't see it either.

I was pleased to capture the photograph, but it was a little disappointing that I didn't get to see the northern lights with my own eyes!

I do very little photography of the night sky, so I asked Tony what settings he would recommend. He said to start with ISO 1600 with a relatively wide aperture (I chose f/3.2) and to see if the shutter speed would be less than 30 seconds. The shutter speed for this shot was 25 seconds.

About 20 minutes after I captured this image, the wind picked up again to its customary 35 mph and clouds quickly covered the sky. It snowed for the next few hours. We never saw the northern lights again. Then again, I never saw the northern lights to begin with!

]]>gnagel60@comcast.net (Glenn Nagel Photography)astrophotographyauroraaurora borealisd850icelandnightnorthern lightssettingstravelhttp://www.nagelphotography.com/blog/2018/3/the-northern-lightsThu, 15 Mar 2018 12:48:53 GMTSharpness Throughouthttp://www.nagelphotography.com/blog/2018/3/sharpness-throughout
I commonly use focus stacking to extend the area of sharpness within a photograph. This picture of the Beckman Institute of Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois is an example of a simple two frame blend to render the photograph sharp throughout:

Beckman InstituteBeckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at 405 N Mathews Avenue on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Urbana, Illinois on February 8, 2018

In an image like this, my goal is the render both the foreground object as well as the far more distant building in sharp focus. The foreground object is very close to my lens...the tripod legs were touching the edge of the disk. To accomplish this, I captured two photographs...one focused on the foreground object and the second on the building. I later blended the two exposures in Photoshop to achieve sharpness from front to back.

Another method is to use a smaller aperture (f/22, for example) to extend the focus area. However, this foreground object was so close that even a narrow aperture wouldn't render everything sharp. Additionally, sharpness tends to fall off as the aperture becomes smaller due to diffraction. Also, unless your sensor is super clean, f/22 will reveal every single dust particle and make removing all of those spots a more tedious post processing exercise. So, I dial in the sweet spot for my lens (usually about f/8) and focus stack multiple frames. That way, I have the best of both worlds--the use of the sharpest aperture for my particular lens and an extremely wide area of sharpness.

I participated in a photography tour of the southern coast of Iceland led by Tony Prower. I arrived in Reykjavik a few days prior to the tour to explore the capitol city on my own. The weather was challenging through most of the trip. We experienced rain and high winds the vast majority of the time. Fortunately, we usually had a couple of hours of decent light each day--which enabled me to capture some photographs.

I will be posting several blog entries in the upcoming weeks about some of the photo shoots in Iceland.

Iceland ice caveIce cave at the Vatnajokull Glacier, the largest glacier in Europe, near Jokulsarlon, Iceland on February 21, 2018Sun Voyager sculptureSun Voyager stainless steel sculpture in Reykjavik, Iceland on February 18, 2018Diamond BeachDiamond beach by Jokulsarlon glacial lagoon in southeast Iceland on February 23, 2018Hallgrimskirkja churchHallgrimskirkja church at Hallgrímstorg 1 in Reykjavik, Iceland on February 16, 2018. The church of Hallgrimur is a Lutheran church that stands 244 feet high--making it the second tallest building in the country. It took 41 years to build the church and it was completed in 1986.Vestrahorn MountainVestrahorn Mountain in the Stokksnes peninsula in Southeast Iceland near Hohn, Iceland on February 22, 2018. Note that this is a composite image--a blend of the picture of the mountain range with a picture of the sky (and reflections) from earlier in the photo shoot.Harpa Concert HallHarpa Concert Hall at Austurbakki 2, 101 in Reykjavik, Iceland on February 17, 2018

]]>gnagel60@comcast.net (Glenn Nagel Photography)ice caveicelandreykjaviktony prowertravelhttp://www.nagelphotography.com/blog/2018/3/iceland-photos-are-available-for-viewingWed, 07 Mar 2018 13:56:39 GMT"The Great Hall" Wins Photo of the Day!http://www.nagelphotography.com/blog/2018/3/-great-hall-wins-photo-of-the-day
This morning, my "The Great Hall" picture won Imaging Resource's "Photo of the Day". CLICK HERE to view Imaging Resource's Photo of the Day page.

This photograph was captured just a few weeks ago during my visit to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I posted a blog entry about the Great Hall recently.

This marks the 49th time that one of my photographs was recognized by Imaging Resource as its "Photo of the Day". Click here to view all of the winning entries over the past few years.

Great HallImaging Resource's Photo of the Day for March 1, 2018

]]>gnagel60@comcast.net (Glenn Nagel Photography)architectureawardconcert halld850imaging resourceinteriorkrannertphoto contestuniversity of illinoiswinnerhttp://www.nagelphotography.com/blog/2018/3/-great-hall-wins-photo-of-the-dayThu, 01 Mar 2018 11:06:32 GMTThe Great Hallhttp://www.nagelphotography.com/blog/2018/2/the-great-hall
Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of having a couple of hours of private access to the Great Hall of the Krannert Center of Performing Arts at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. This is one of the top acoustical theaters in the world. For years, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra commuted the 150 miles to Urbana to make its recordings.

The lobby itself is impressive. More than 35,000 square feet of floor space is covered in teak wood. The entire allocation of teak wood coming into the United States from Thailand was allocated to this venue for a year.

Here are some favorites from my visit:

Great HallFoellinger Great Hall in the Krannert Center for Performing Arts on the campus of the University of Illinois in Urbana, Illinois on February 9, 2018Great HallFoellinger Great Hall in the Krannert Center for Performing Arts on the campus of the University of Illinois in Urbana, Illinois on February 9, 2018Great HallFoellinger Great Hall in the Krannert Center for Performing Arts on the campus of the University of Illinois in Urbana, Illinois on February 9, 2018Great HallFoellinger Great Hall in the Krannert Center for Performing Arts on the campus of the University of Illinois in Urbana, Illinois on February 9, 2018
I was glad that a piano was left on the stage as it added a sense of scale to many of the pictures.

]]>gnagel60@comcast.net (Glenn Nagel Photography)acousticsarchitectureconcert hallgreat hallilliniillinoisinteriorkrannert centertheaterhttp://www.nagelphotography.com/blog/2018/2/the-great-hallSun, 25 Feb 2018 10:55:44 GMTMicrostock Earnings through Januaryhttp://www.nagelphotography.com/blog/2018/2/microstock-earnings-through-january
My monthly microstock earnings fell just short of $1,000 during January. Monthly revenues were down just $15 from last month, but fell $200 from January of last year.

I continued adding images to my Alamy portfolio, but haven't had an image sell for the last seven weeks.

Following is a summary of my monthly earnings:

]]>gnagel60@comcast.net (Glenn Nagel Photography)alamydownloadsearningsfotoliamicrostocksalesshutterstocktrendhttp://www.nagelphotography.com/blog/2018/2/microstock-earnings-through-januaryTue, 20 Feb 2018 21:45:00 GMTThe Background Eraserhttp://www.nagelphotography.com/blog/2018/2/the-background-eraser
I recently attended my cousin's fifth grade band/orchestra concert. The students have only been playing for a month or so--and they sounded quite good considering their inexperience. I hoped to capture some photographs of the event, but found the conditions to be very challenging for photography.

First, there were a lot more people at the concert than I expected:

Band ConcertBand and Orchestra concert at Chelsea Intermediate School at 22265 S 80th Avenue in Frankfort, Illinois on January 23, 2018
I decided to position myself on the stage at the back of the gym so that I could shoot from a higher perspective.

The next challenge was the positioning of the musicians. The band and orchestra are facing each other on the gym floor and the two don't play at the same time. So, when I'm photographing the band director (who is facing me), the musicians in the background are just sitting there--and it looks very unnatural. I had to watch the background closely and activate the shutter at the most appropriate times.

The biggest challenge was the busy backgrounds. When shooting with a middle aperture, there's so much going on in the frame that it's difficult to tell what the subject is. So, I used my Nikon 300 2.8 and set the aperture wide open. At f/2.8, the depth of field of acceptable focus is very narrow--which helps to isolate the subject. I sometimes call the 300 2.8 lens my "background eraser." Here are some images from the concert:

Band ConcertDoug Adams at the Band and Orchestra concert at Chelsea Intermediate School at 22265 S 80th Avenue in Frankfort, Illinois on January 23, 2018Band ConcertBand and Orchestra concert at Chelsea Intermediate School at 22265 S 80th Avenue in Frankfort, Illinois on January 23, 2018Band ConcertDoug Adams at the Band and Orchestra concert at Chelsea Intermediate School at 22265 S 80th Avenue in Frankfort, Illinois on January 23, 2018Band ConcertBand and Orchestra concert at Chelsea Intermediate School at 22265 S 80th Avenue in Frankfort, Illinois on January 23, 2018Band ConcertBand and Orchestra concert at Chelsea Intermediate School at 22265 S 80th Avenue in Frankfort, Illinois on January 23, 2018

Mexican gray wolfMexican gray wolf at the Brookfield Zoo in Brookfield, Illinois on February 1, 2018
Unfortunately there are now less than 400 of these wolves in the world--and less than 150 living in the wild. The Brookfield Zoo has some (I'm guessing 8 or 9) of the 240 Mexican gray wolves living in captivity. Fortunately, the zoo is participating in a breeding program to try to save these wolves...and recently introduced a couple of the wolves back into the wild in New Mexico. The fact that the Brookfield Zoo is undertaking such an initiative make me feel better about capturing photographs of captive animals.

I really wanted to capture this image. I loved how the color of his eyes matched the color of the background. I liked how his fur was backlit and raised behind his body due to the strong wind. And, I liked how he was peeking over his tail. The problem is that he wouldn't look my way!

Fortunately, nobody was on hand to shoot the behind the scenes video. All I needed was for him to open his eyes and look at me. So, in addition to making all kinds of strange sounds (which weren't effective), I started dancing around--"Dances With Wolves"--and waving my arms (which was effective). So, he gave me a look...and I thanked him and moved on.

]]>gnagel60@comcast.net (Glenn Nagel Photography)animalbrookfield zoocaptivedances with wolvesendangeredmexican gray wolfposewildlifewolfzoohttp://www.nagelphotography.com/blog/2018/2/dances-with-wolvesTue, 06 Feb 2018 14:02:26 GMTMilwaukee City Hallhttp://www.nagelphotography.com/blog/2018/2/milwaukee-city-hall
During my short trip to Milwaukee last month, I visited a number of architectural sites--including City Hall. Upon completion, Milwaukee City Hall was the tallest structure in the United States! Here's a picture of the exterior of the building from Wikipedia:

When I visited, construction was taking place around most of the building. That, along with the fact that it was raining at the time, made capturing decent photos of the outside of the building nearly impossible. Although, the rain later paid dividends in enabling me to get better images of the interior of this historic building.

So, I was walking by City Hall on my way to the Milwaukee Art Museum on a rainy, cold and windy afternoon. Given how narrow this building is, I wasn't sure that it would be worth exploring the interior. I wrongly assumed that there couldn't possibly be much in the way of open spaces inside such a narrow structure. I was wrong.

When I entered the building, I was very surprised to see an open area from the lobby floor to the ceiling. This open space was surrounded by wrought iron railings. It's an amazing interior.

Milwaukee City HallMilwaukee City Hall at 200 E Wells Street in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on November 15, 2017Milwaukee City HallMilwaukee City Hall at 200 E Wells Street in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on November 15, 2017Milwaukee City HallMilwaukee City Hall at 200 E Wells Street in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on November 15, 2017
My only remaining challenge was waiting for the scenes to clear of people. In that first image, people were leaning over the railing and gazing at me--probably because I was laying on the lobby floor taking pictures! I hoped that the novelty of this view would wear off quickly, but it took a good 15 minutes or so before they backed away from the railing.

For the second and third images, I had to wait for a woman to walk out of the frame. But, she kept circling the scene (mounting steps on her Fitbit tracker)--so I had to time the shots when she circled behind me. Since these pictures are a blend of bracketed exposures, waiting for her to move behind me for each picture in the sequence tested my patience...especially because many of the times when she was finally behind me someone else would enter the scene!

]]>gnagel60@comcast.net (Glenn Nagel Photography)architecturecity hallinteriormilwaukeewisconsinhttp://www.nagelphotography.com/blog/2018/2/milwaukee-city-hallThu, 01 Feb 2018 15:09:22 GMTThe Story of the Staircasehttp://www.nagelphotography.com/blog/2018/1/the-story-of-the-staircase
While walking the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, I entered the Grainger Engineering Library to photograph the colorful staircase:

Grainger staircaseStaircase in the Grainger Engineering Library at 1301 W Springfield Avenue on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Urbana, Illinois on January 24, 2018
Security approached me as soon as I started to set up my shot. I was told that photography isn't allowed inside the library. I asked if it would be possible for me to capture a photograph of this staircase before packing up. I promised not to include any library patrons in the frame as that seemed to be the main concern. To my surprise, permission was granted for me to take a few minutes for this picture.

I found it challenging to align the camera for this picture. The tripod was positioned on the stairs with the camera just a foot or so off one of the steps. After trying unsuccessfully to get my body positioned under the viewfinder (like a gymnast), it dawned on me that the Nikon D850 features a tilt LCD screen on the back of the camera! So, I sat comfortably upright while focusing the lens and composing the photograph.

The D850 also offers a feature called "focus peaking". While focusing the lens, the area that is in focus turns red--so you know that you've nailed the focus precisely. You can also change the color of the focus peaking (for example, when you happen to be shooting a red subject). Once the appropriate railings turned red, I activated the shutter and captured my image.

]]>gnagel60@comcast.net (Glenn Nagel Photography)d850focus peakinggraingernikon d850rear screen lcdstaircasehttp://www.nagelphotography.com/blog/2018/1/the-story-of-the-staircaseMon, 29 Jan 2018 22:04:51 GMTMicrostock Earnings Through December, 2017http://www.nagelphotography.com/blog/2018/1/microstock-earnings-through-december-2017
My monthly microstock earnings finished strong in 2017. Earnings for the month of December exceeded $1,000 and the annual earnings reached $11,400. Monthly revenues were up about $175 from last month and are about $270 more than December of last year.

Fotolia set a record for monthly earnings at $127. Shutterstock reported its highest monthly earnings since May.

I continued adding images to my Alamy portfolio, but had just one image sell through that agency in December.

Following is a summary of my monthly earnings:

]]>gnagel60@comcast.net (Glenn Nagel Photography)alamycommissionsdownloadsearningsfotoliasalesshutterstocktrendhttp://www.nagelphotography.com/blog/2018/1/microstock-earnings-through-december-2017Wed, 24 Jan 2018 14:15:00 GMTA Disturbing Tripod Trendhttp://www.nagelphotography.com/blog/2018/1/a-disturbing-tripod-trend
For the vast majority of my photography, a tripod is an essential piece of gear. I was alarmed when I read about the tripod ban in Zion National Park, but since it only applies to workshop participants it won't directly impact me.

Earlier this month, I was disappointed to learn that tripods are completely banned in Lower Antelope Canyon now. When I visited Lower Antelope Canyon, I participated in the Photography Tour--which permitted tripods. Given the relatively low light in the slot canyon and the fact that I did a lot of exposure bracketing...the tripod was essential. Now, all Photography Tours have been cancelled--even during the "off season".

What's next? A ban on tripods throughout the country?

Note that Lower Antelope Canyon "has become too popular...to accommodate" the Photo Tours (tripods). Apparently, the same is true of a remote ice cave in Iceland that I'll soon be visiting. I recently received an email from our photography guide explaining that the ice caves have become so popular now that we need to hike there before sunrise in the dark and pay a premium to secure the space. Otherwise, he said that the place is so crowded that we won't be able to compose any photographs. The initial charge was $200 per person for the ice caves--and he requested an additional $75 for this private showing of the ice caves. Keep in mind that these caves are nearly 300 miles from Reykjavik and we'll be visiting in the middle of the winter! But, at least I can use my tripod!

]]>gnagel60@comcast.net (Glenn Nagel Photography)bancrowdsicelandlower antelope canyonslot canyontraveltripodzionzion national parkhttp://www.nagelphotography.com/blog/2018/1/a-disturbing-tripod-trendSun, 21 Jan 2018 13:55:14 GMTFigure Skatinghttp://www.nagelphotography.com/blog/2018/1/figure-skating
Last Sunday, I photographed figure skating for the first time. Actually, it was the first time that I ever attended a figure skating event. The event was the Winter Blizzard Figure Skating Competition in Skokie, Illinois.

I enjoyed the experience. Figure skating is an ideal sport for photography. The costumes (dresses) are colorful. The young skaters are photogenic. And, there's action!

Figure skating can be a challenging subject to photograph. It's an indoor sport--which usually means dim lighting. Low light and fast action is a difficult combination.

I didn't want to deal with the meter potentially altering exposures as I moved the camera. So, I set the exposure manually. I went with a shutter speed of 1/800th, an aperture of f/2.0 and and ISO setting of 2,500. That exposure combination gave me a fast enough shutter speed to stop most of the movement, a shallow aperture to blur the backgrounds and a low enough ISO setting to minimize noise. Fortunately, I own the Nikon 200 f/2 lens as it's ideal for indoor sports. The f/2 aperture of this lens gathers twice as much light as a f/2.8 lens! In other words, had I selected a 2.8 lens, I would have had to boost my ISO to 5,000 to keep my shutter speed (1/800th) the same.

Here are a few images from the event:

Figure skatingWinter Blizzard Figure Skating Competition at the Skatium Ice Arena at 9300 Weber Park Place in Skokie, Illinois on January 14, 2018Figure skatingWinter Blizzard Figure Skating Competition at the Skatium Ice Arena at 9300 Weber Park Place in Skokie, Illinois on January 14, 2018Figure skatingWinter Blizzard Figure Skating Competition at the Skatium Ice Arena at 9300 Weber Park Place in Skokie, Illinois on January 14, 2018Figure skatingWinter Blizzard Figure Skating Competition at the Skatium Ice Arena at 9300 Weber Park Place in Skokie, Illinois on January 14, 2018Figure skatingWinter Blizzard Figure Skating Competition at the Skatium Ice Arena at 9300 Weber Park Place in Skokie, Illinois on January 14, 2018Figure skatingWinter Blizzard Figure Skating Competition at the Skatium Ice Arena at 9300 Weber Park Place in Skokie, Illinois on January 14, 2018
I enjoyed the experience so much that I plan to shoot another figure skating competition in May.

]]>gnagel60@comcast.net (Glenn Nagel Photography)competitiond850eventexposurefigure skatingmeteringnikon 200 f2skatingsportshttp://www.nagelphotography.com/blog/2018/1/figure-skatingWed, 17 Jan 2018 19:43:10 GMTMcCord Househttp://www.nagelphotography.com/blog/2018/1/mccord-house
Yesterday, I captured a few photos of the McCord House. This building is located just a few minutes from my home in the southwest suburbs of Chicago. I believe this is the oldest building in the area. It was built in 1834...which is very old for these parts! That's 37 years before the Great Chicago Fire.
McCord HouseMcCord House at 9602 W Creek Road in Palos Park, Illinois on January 8, 2018

McCord HouseMcCord House at 9602 W Creek Road in Palos Park, Illinois on January 8, 2018McCord HouseMcCord House at 9602 W Creek Road in Palos Park, Illinois on January 8, 2018
All three photos were captured with the Nikon D850 and Nikon 14-24 2.8.

]]>gnagel60@comcast.net (Glenn Nagel Photography)architecturebuildingchicagohouselandmarkmccordpalossnowwinterhttp://www.nagelphotography.com/blog/2018/1/mccord-houseTue, 09 Jan 2018 15:43:58 GMTWinter Traininghttp://www.nagelphotography.com/blog/2018/1/winter-training
Each year, I dedicate time to training in some aspect of photography. In recent years, that training has been devoted to developing my post processing skills. Since this training means spending a lot of time indoors, I almost always complete this training during the Winter.

It's been a few weeks since I've been out with my camera. But, I've been spending a lot of time improving my editing skills. This year, I've been viewing the collection of video tutorials (the Masters Academy) by Ben Willmore. At the time of this blog posting, the annual subscription for this training was just $99. For that price, there are more than 70 hours of tutorials currently available...with more on the way.

So far, I've worked my way through all of the "Starting From Zero" tutorials and some of the "Essentials" videos. Although I've been using Photoshop for a few years now, I still learned a lot while working my way through these videos. The tutorials will continue to build and will cover more complex topics.

Clearly, it's important to capture good images to begin with. But, proper processing of the image is the other critical part of the process of creating good photographs. I think it's important to dedicate training time to both the capture and the processing aspects of photography.

]]>gnagel60@comcast.net (Glenn Nagel Photography)adobeeditingphotoshopprocessingtrainingwillmorehttp://www.nagelphotography.com/blog/2018/1/winter-trainingMon, 08 Jan 2018 02:06:22 GMTMy Nikon D850 Transitionhttp://www.nagelphotography.com/blog/2018/1/my-nikon-d850-transition
In one of my previous blog entries, I outlined what I hoped to gain by upgrading from my Nikon D800 to the D850.

When purchasing a new camera, it takes a lot more than just the cost of the camera to make the transition. Several other accessories are also needed to realize the full potential of the new camera:

The D850 uses XQD memory cards. To enable the camera to shoot at the highest 9 frames per second rate, I purchased a large (128 GB) high speed XQD card. My D800 used a CF card. So, memory cards (including the SD cards) needed to be replaced and/or upgraded to handle the bigger files and faster frame rate of the D850.

Now that I had my XQD memory card, I needed to purchase a XQD card reader!

The vertical battery grip for my D800 doesn't fit the new camera, so I purchased a new grip. It took months before the new grips were available...and the orders for the D850 grips still haven't been completely fulfilled.

The vertical grip for the D850 takes a different battery than the D850 in order to achieve the greater power capacity for higher frame rates. These high powered batteries aren't cheap!

What's even more expensive is the new charger required for charging the new batteries.

Now that I had my Nikon D850 (with vertical grip) driven by the high powered batteries and high capacity memory cards, I needed a way to connect the gripped camera to my tripod's ballhead. That meant purchasing a new L-bracket! The L-brackets were just recently made available through a couple manufacturers--and I had a nightmare experience getting my new L-bracket to work with my ballhead. Ultimately, the Kirk bracket did the trick. More on that in a later blog entry.

I'm pleased to announce that after four months and quite a bit of money, my transition from the Nikon D800 to the D850 camera is finally complete! Now, it's time to get back out there to do some shooting.

]]>gnagel60@comcast.net (Glenn Nagel Photography)card readerd800d850equipmentgripmemory cardnikontransitionvertical griphttp://www.nagelphotography.com/blog/2018/1/my-nikon-d850-transitionThu, 04 Jan 2018 14:23:28 GMTInstagram's Best 9 of 2017http://www.nagelphotography.com/blog/2017/12/instagrams-best-9-of-2017
I posted pictures on Instagram almost every day throughout 2017. Here are the top 9 pictures--according to the number of Instagram "likes":

Wishing all of you endless photo opportunities in 2018...Happy New Year!

]]>gnagel60@comcast.net (Glenn Nagel Photography)favoritesinstagramlikespopularrankingtophttp://www.nagelphotography.com/blog/2017/12/instagrams-best-9-of-2017Sun, 31 Dec 2017 22:47:31 GMT10 of My Favorite Pictures from 2017http://www.nagelphotography.com/blog/2017/12/10-of-my-favorite-pictures-from-2017
I was fortunate to visit some amazing locations during 2017. My travels started with a trip to Hawaii in January. During the summer, I took my "Great Western Loop Road Trip". In the Fall, I visited Detroit and seven architectural location in Wisconsin.

It's a challenge to select just ten pictures from a full year of shooting. These are ten of my favorites (in random order) from 2017:

Steptoe ButteThe Palouse from the summit of Steptoe Butte in Steptoe Butte State Park near Colfax, Washington on July 25, 2017City CenterVeer Towers in Las Vegas City Center at 3722 South Las Vegas Boulevard in Las Vegas, Nevada on August 5, 2017Lou Ruvo CenterLou Ruvo Center for Brain Health at 888 W Bonneville Avenue in Las Vegas, Nevada on August 4, 2017Snow Leopard KittenSnow Leopard kitten at the Triple D Game Farm at 190 Drake Drive in Kalispell, Montana on July 21, 2017Rafe SlagerRafe Slager of the 10U Orland Park Warriors baseball team in Orland Park, Illinois on June 2, 2017Sandy Beach sunriseSunrise at Sandy Beach at 8801 Kalanianaole Highway in Honolulu, Hawaii on January 19, 2017The BroadThe Broad museum at 221 S Grand Avenue in Los Angeles, California on July 30, 2017Green leafCloseup of a green leaf in Orland Park, Illinois on May 20, 2017Hawaii surfingSurfing competition (North Shore Surf Shop Pro Junior) at Sunset Beach at 59-104 Kamehameha Hwy on the North Shore of Oahu in Haleiwa, Hawaii on January 28, 2017Scripps PierEllen Browning Scripps Memorial Pier at 8602 La Jolla Shores Drive in La Jolla, California on August 2, 2017
Thanks for all for taking the time to read my blog and view my photographs over this past year.